1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of recording information, an apparatus for and a method of reproducing information, a recording medium, and an information recording medium and, more particularly, to an apparatus for and a method of recording information which are intended, in order that information recorded in a recording medium may be reproduction-controlled, to record this information, an apparatus for and a method of reproducing information which are intended to reproduce the information that has been recorded while performing reproduction control with respect to it, and a recording medium having recorded therein the information recording program, or information reproducing program, or information for performing the reproduction control.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, information recording/reproducing apparatuses which enable moving picture image information to be recorded into a large capacity of recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc. and at the same time enable such moving picture image information to be reproduced have been being generalized.
And, in each of those information recording/reproducing apparatuses, it is constructed in the way in which, as described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-35375, for making easy the search, etc. of the respective moving picture image information that has been recorded, a representative picture image (the “thumb-nail picture image”) symbolically representing the content of the respective moving picture image information is recorded in the recording medium separately from that moving picture image information; and, when reproducing the respective moving picture image information, the corresponding representative picture image is displayed in advance of the time when performing that reproduction to thereby enable a searching of the moving picture image information, etc. to be reproduced.
On the other hand, in the above-described information recording/reproducing apparatus, in a case where reproducing a recording medium having recorded therein specified moving picture image information, etc. (hereinafter referred to, simply, as “the specified moving picture image information, etc.”) the presentation of which to a person whose age is below 18 for example is prohibited, in many cases a function to limit the execution of the reproduction processing of the specified moving picture image information, etc. is added to the information recording/reproducing apparatus as the function of this apparatus itself.
However, in the construction of the above-described conventional information recording/reproducing apparatus, although, indeed, executing the reproduction processing of the specified moving picture image information, etc. itself can be limited, up to the reproduction of the above-described representative picture image corresponding to that specified moving picture image information, etc. is not limited. As a result, there was the problem that it is impossible to hide the content of the specified moving picture image information.
Further, regarding the moving picture image information, etc. containing therein very personal information, as well, similarly, although executing the reproduction processing of that information, etc. itself can be limited, there was the problem that it is impossible to limit up to the reproduction of the representative picture image corresponding to the content of that information, etc.